This module introduces students to the historical treatment of topics in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and epistemology through reading primary texts. It emphasises the relation between the development of philosophical thought and the historical, scientific and cultural context. Students will study European philosophers (men and women) from the early modern period alongside those from other philosophical traditions, for example ancient Greek, medieval European, medieval Arabic, Chinese, Indian or African. The module will discuss issues around canon formation, diversification and historiography and explores how philosophy’s history shapes contemporary philosophical problems and debates.
Taking this module will give students a grasp of why philosophers ask big questions about the nature of reality and the self and the scope of our knowledge, and how those questions bear on their everyday lives. Students taking this module will learn how to read and interpret primary texts and will become proficient in referencing and citation practices for historical texts.
The module is taught by lecture (2 x 1 hour per week) and seminar (1 hour per week). Assessment has three components, a portfolio worth 25% of the module mark and assessed continuously through S1 and S2, a semester one essay worth 35% and a semester 2 exam worth 40%.